Thursday Thoughts: Grand Circuit at Dayton Raceway

by Al Cimaglia

September 27, 2018

The main events for Grand Circuit action this weekend take place in Ohio at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway. The Dayton Trotting and Pacing Derbies, each with purses of $150,000 roll on Friday night, they are carded as Race 10 and Race 12 respectively.

The morning line favorites in the Trotting Derby are Will Take Charge (5/2), Homicide Hunter (3-1), and the lone mare Ariana G (7/2). In the Pacing Derby the program chalks are McWicked (2-1), Donttellmeagain (3-1) and Western Fame (4-1). Conditioners Jimmy Takter and Chris Oakes have trainees in both events.

The entries for the Trotting and Pacing Derbies are listed below in post-position order with drivers, trainers and morning line odds.

Below are the Grand Circuit standings for drivers, trainers and owners. The points are based on a 20-10-5 scale for the top three finishers in division and final races, 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations. The standings have been updated through last weekend.

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11.8.2018

Sometimes there are questions to ask but no answers to be found. Does anyone know why the complete Breeders Crown handle totals have not been published anywhere? The per race handles were available on the USTA website for a while, only seven days, but they were incomplete anyway. The race by race handles didn't include any money coming from overseas. When I called the USTA to get totals for the entire Crown card this week they said they were not available and that was the same answer from the Hambletonian Society. Pocono Downs didn't return my call. Usually information can be found on the internet, but not in this case. There hasn't been one press release from Pocono Downs or anywhere else. The Breeders Crown is the premier night in harness racing, to not have a press release with complete handle totals is very odd. If this doesn't make any sense to me, someone who writes about the sport, plays the races and owns horses it should be unacceptable to others as well. Even if the handle was disappointing the totals should have been released by now, the races were on October 27. No matter if the reduced takeout rate of 15% did not provide a boost in handle over last year the numbers should have been made public. If Pocono is going to host the Breeders Crown, they should not have the ability to hold back this type of information. Harness racing suffers from poor public perception and not being transparent with handle totals on what should be the biggest night of the racing season doesn't bode well. Sometimes this sport comes across as being a small club, whereby only members are allowed and a select few are in the know. That's exactly the opposite image to project when dealing with the public and when relying on them to bet. If for some reason, there were technical issues or a feasible reason as to why the handle has not been reported it should be disclosed. Anything less makes the sport look small. Unfortunately, the handle issue wasn't the only recent harness racing head-scratcher. I was in attendance when the yearling sale was going on at Fasig-Tipton in early October. There was a buzz in the air as sales numbers were strong and there was a lot of chatter concerning the recent announcement of a new $1,000,000 race at the Red Mile for 2-year-old trotters, supposedly scheduled for Sunday, September 29, 2019. That was then but on this past Monday the Hambletonian Society published a release saying the Red Mile Million won't be happening in 2019. After meetings were held concerning scheduling the Red Mile opted to move up the Kentucky Sires Stakes Final to September 15 to avoid other Grand Circuit conflicts. Evidently it was then realized the stakes calendar was overcrowded. So, it was determined adding another big race into the mix wasn't wise and the Red Mile Million was cancelled for 2019. A prudent mind could question- Why wasn't everyone on the same page to start, before a big splash announcement was made about a new $1,000,000 stakes race for 2-year-old trotters? Why wasn't everything buttoned up before buyers took a swing to purchase yearling trotters at one of the biggest sales of the year? Although it's a different question the answer is basically the same as to why the Breeders Crown handle has not been released. Harness racing is like a rudderless ship, it may move forward but no one knows where it's going to end up. Again there is a question of trust, this time possibly by those who put up money for yearling trotters at the Lexington sale. Also, it is painfully obvious there are individual initiatives, but harness racing is without a master plan. Evidently, the Hambletonian Society can't demand Pocono Downs to release handle figures, neither can the USTA because in harness racing every race track does what is best for them. Often that strategy isn't in the best interest of the sport. The biggest question without an answer is how and when the structure can change so the priority is to grow the fan base. The Hambletonian Society should not be blamed concerning the handle totals for the Breeders Crown being kept a secret, as if they are the formula for Coca-Cola. The Hambletonian Society is a non-profit organization and its aim is to encourage the breeding of standardbred horses by promoting stake races. The Hambo Society was involved with the Red Mile Million but so was the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission as well as The Red Mile. As often is the case there were many hands on the steering wheel, but at the end of the day the race track apparently had control of scheduling. The picture is so convoluted it's confusing and even if those entities involved do have the best intentions it's a scattered situation. If you are a fan of harness racing and want to know what the handle on Breeders Crown night happened to be, you will need to wait. If you purchased a yearling trotter with hopes of getting involved in the Red Mile Million for 2-year-olds that was announced as if it was going to happen, waiting won't help. Check me out on Twitter, @AlCimaglia

2.19.2019

Pompano Park has an 8-race card set to roll tonight. The popular 0.50 Pick 4 sequence will be my focus. It begins in Race 5 and has a $15,000 guaranteed pool with an industry low 12% takeout.
Last night was a bit unusual in south Florida. No driver or trainer had more than one win on the 8-race card. Comments and selections below are based on a fast track. Race 5:4-Glide In The Wind-Hennessey seems to have found the key to this horse since the claim on 1/29. 5-Wesley Hanover-Could upset the 3/2 ML chalk if the pace is fast enough, should be sitting in the pocket.
Race 6:2-Jays Bees Grin-12-time winner in '18 comes off a big try from the 2nd tier, a player at 2-1 in the ML. 3-Brookstone-Was claimed for $5k on 1/9 and now in for a $4k tag, could be a wake-up call if minds manners. 6-Bobcat Bound-Another without much success after a recent $5k claim, will respect chances in a soft field.
Race 7:3-Iced Out-7/5 ML chalk with Hennessey takes a big drop, could get on the engine and not look back. 4-Keystone Christa-10-year-old mare is hard to predict, can win at this level at a nice price if fires best shot. 7-Mystical Bay-Simons choice, and did face a tough winner in last, could be sitting on a big try. 8-Walk Two Moons-Zeron has been quiet, but here's a price shot to use if he can light this gal up off the gate.
Race 8:1-Sweet Bet-Last was better and this is 3rd time Lasix, looks to be in the hunt. 4-Layer Cake-Does best work up-close to the lead and could get that trip tonight. 6-Machin Marley-Form hasn't been great but last was better and if pace is quick could surprise at a square price. 7-Northern Dali-9/5 chalk got sucked around in 1st start since a sick scratch, has beaten better but will look to beat.
0.50 Pick 4:4,5/2,3,6/3,4,7,8/1,4,6,7 Total Bet=$48
Check me out on Twitter, @AlCimaglia.